Can I Have This Job?

March 10, 2011

One of my most favorite things to do in life (other than snack on Girl Scout cookies by the dozen and ignore the scale) is to surf the net or discount stores hunting for high end looking décor for a great price. Raise you hand if you share my love of snagging something stylish for a bargain? Oh, all of you.

I’m a huge fan of Style at Home and I frequently pop over to see what’s new and inspiring. There’s always something! Seleta blogged about this space earlier this week, and it’s one of many in a favorite series over at SOH called ‘High/Low’ where they feature two practically identical spaces, one designed for top dollar, and the other at a much lower cost.

Take for example this garden room. Here is the High version at $9,937 and Low version to the right at $3,109

Here’s another . . .

. . . and another.

Can you tell which is which?

I want this job.

How fun is this, to find all the ‘low’ end versions of the ‘high’ end décor?

Then I start wondering, could I get the ‘Low’ down even lower? It’s a little game I play to amuse myself. How about knocking off a few hundred more with just this chair, this fabric, and this acrylic console? Don’t get me started how much could be saved by a little Craigslist hunting and a few DIY projects too. Can you tell I am easily distracted?

All of the accessories in the spaces are listed, so the bonus is you can find a few good sites for affordable ‘look for less’ décor just by reading the source guide.

Ohhh…I LOVE this game! I too am gobbling my Samoas while reading this post and wondering what my local Craigslist has to offer tonight. I was 2 minutes shy of snagging a beautiful wood piano chair that had been saved from a burning church! Damn!!!

I think Robbyn’s right. I opened both pics in separate tabs, and I can’t find even the smallest difference. The flowers don’t shift even the slightest bit. And there’s the same sticker on both lanterns. I think they goofed up with that one. Still, though, the idea of the site is cool. :) Thanks for sharing!

Agreed Catherine and Robbyn! That’s some pretty fancy styling. Even the flowers are exactly the same. Check out the other ‘High/Low’ rooms, you’ll spot more differences, but this one was really surprising to me.

Just finished at least 5 Thin Mints myself…nothing to be ashamed about…it’s my civic duty to consume these amazing cookies! Regarding the ‘design on a dime’ them, oh yeah! In fact, my friend told me my home smelled like Pier 1 Imports the other day and I was actually flattered. Wish it looked like it but that’s why I have Centsational Girl and all her wisdom. Surely someone will pick you up and ask you to host your own show!

I can guess all the “Highs” on each of the other rooms. (Sales people tell my husband: “Man, is she good. She can run to the most expensive item in the store at lightning speed.”) BUT, that first one? I got nothing. I am “befuzzled” as my daughter would say. Honest to God, I want someone with computer skills (that I do not have) to lay the first picture over the second and look for the difference.

What a fun thing to think about as I scour the web for great and fun design. I checked them out and love the looks of so many rooms. Can they take one of my rooms and do a high for me? I would love to see them do more.

so right there with ya! agree that i can’t see a diff in those first two pics! even the chair has the same awkward lilt. hmm anyway.. love that site and fun to see someone else obsessing over it too! ;)

This is great – I have always wanted to find a design blog where someone could find more reasonable versions of the expensive rooms! As far as the first two rooms, if you go to the SAH.com blog you can see the high end room – the differences are very apparent. Thanks again for posting!

Love it! This could seriously become addicting!! Can’t remember the name of it, but didn’t HGTV used to have a show that did this. I always remember being in awe of how awesome the “low” room could in comparison to the “high”. There were times I like the low better!!!

Kate – your post of the pics are the same…the ones on the site ARE different….look at the sticker on the light fixture on the low – a silver sticker is visible….its not there on the high version…
Also, on the S@H site, the little pot with the purple flowers is clearly different. Just a little mistake copying pics I bet.

Great game! And I do see very subtle differences between the spaces. But it’s very minor. Although the first pic I can’t find anything different at all.
And Yes KATE you can have that job and ROCK it out like you do everything else :-)))

Hilarious Janet! I got word from SOH that they think their intern goofed on that garden scene . . we will wait to see if they switch it out for a different pic.
Glad you’re all enjoying this game as much as me! Sorry about the lost time . . . heh heh.
:)

How did you know that i did neither laundry nor dishes today? Well thanks for the handy excuse! It just sits here and mocks me and i just want to read blogs! LOL. hope your day is more productive than mine!

1. White tables are different. Rounded ball base on one, another one is double rounded smaller balls base.
2. Blue chinoiserie stools are different (one is lower than the other, other one also has holes in it)
3. One side has chairs that have a base which is straight, the other side has chairs that have a curved base.
4. One vase is narrow and short, the other side has a vase that is tall and fat.
5. One side has a lamp that’s pagoda-ish cuboid rectangle. Other side has a regular cuboid pendant lamp.
6. One side has a bowl with flowers that is opaque blue, another one is blue+white.

If I had to guess, the one on the left side is the more expensive one.

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Hi, I'm Kate from Northern California. I'm a bargain hunter, design lover, and incurable DIYer. I'm on a quest for diamond style on a dime, and I'm out to make my world fabulous, for less, one do-it-yourself project at a time. Learn more.